Kiri scores first blue marlin in Bay of Islands

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ON SONG: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa with her huge blue marlin.

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Dame Kiri Te Kanawa won't have to sing for her supper for a while. On Wednesday, the Kiwi diva caught a 217kg blue marlin in the seas off Cape Brett in the Bay of Islands.

Dame Kiri took 50 minutes to reel in the monster fish on a 24kg tackle.

A Bay of Islands Swordfish Club spokeswoman said it was the opera superstar's first catch on her new boat, Arabella.

"She christened the boat with it," the spokeswoman told Sunday News.

"Usually she tags them but because of its size she brought it in. I think now she is having smoked fish and pate."

She said UK-based Dame Kiri "loves fishing" and is often seen at the club when she is holidaying in New Zealand.

The 64-year-old singer is holidaying at her exclusive property at Rawhiti, near Parekura Bay.

Dame Kiri's catch is the first blue marlin recorded by the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club for 2009.

The fish drew a crowd of more than 100 when it was weighed in at Russell wharf even though it was well short of the club's record blue marlin, a 456kg monster caught in 1998 off North Cape.

The fisherwoman, who undoubtedly attracted as much attention as the marlin, has described the Bay of Islands as "heaven on earth".

In an article Dame Kiri wrote for a UK newspaper, she said she tried to visit "at least twice a year".

"The Bay of Islands is the perfect place to relax, soak up the laid-back atmosphere, grab some quality leisure time and appreciate the good things in life.

"Going there makes me feel as if I'm escaping it brings a real peace of mind," she wrote.

"When I visit, I take my boat out and spend the day fishing, usually catching tuna, marlin or snapper and enjoying the wildlife.

"Then I head back to the house to eat the fish I've just caught, often inviting over family and friends.

"I love nothing better than having people round for a meal."

Dame Kiri said she first discovered the area in 1976 during a holiday and "instantly fell in love with the spot".